Welcome (Paglan) to the Cosmos Hills Hyrdo-Electric Hydrologic Network Project website. The
Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) is embarking on a feasibility study
of potential hydropower sites and
associated power lines in the Kobuk River Valley, in collaboration with NANA Regional Corporation. In 2009, AVEC
received partial pre-construction funding from the Alaska Energy Authority's Renewable Energy Fund (REF) program
(awarded grant #2195413) to pursue feasibility and design of hydroelectric sites in the Cosmos Hills area north of
Shungnak and Kobuk. AVEC and other project partners are providing additional financial and In-Kind resources to help
evaluate renewable energy solutions for Kobuk Valley communities. WHPacific, Inc., a subsidiary of NANA Regional Corporation,
has been hired by AVEC to oversee
the Cosmos Hills hydroelectric feasibility studies. Geo-Watersheds Scientific, Brailey Hydrologic, and EEInternet are the project partners
investigating and reporting hydrologic characteristics of the study watersheds.

Currently, diesel-fuel power generation is the only source of electricity for the upper Kobuk River communities of
Ambler, Shungnak, and Kobuk (Site Map). The purpose of small hydroelectric plants would be to supplement diesel fuel used for power
generation. Diesel fuel can be expensive when it has to be flown in due to shallow-water conditions on the Kobuk River. Run-of-river hydro sites in this area could provide electricity from about mid-April until early November,
although the Kogoluktuk River may be able to provide power later into the winter, and earlier in the spring.

Run-of-river hydroelectric plants do not require a large dam, and rely on the natural flow volume of the stream or
river. Such facilities tend to have far less environmental impacts compared to conventional dam-storage hydroelectric
plants because of the lack of a large artificial reservoir. With proper siting, construction techniques, and operation
and maintenance, run-of-river hydropower in the region could have minimal impacts on fisheries and other subsistence
resources. These hydrologic studies will help determine the water available for hydroelectric generation. Additional
studies will be conducted to determine project features, estimated project costs, operating conditions, energy
production costs and overall project feasibility.